1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containers and more particularly pertains to waste oil collectors which may be utilized for collecting used oil from an engine and dispensing the oil into bottles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of containers is known in the prior art. More specifically, containers heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of containing waste oil are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
For example, a waste oil collection and disposal system in illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,530 which has a catch pan supported in a cantilever manner by a pair of legs. Apertures are provided in an end wall of the catch pan to which bottles for collecting the drained oil may be connected. The bottles extend outwardly and serve as a counter balance for supporting the catch pan in a cantilever manner upon the legs.
A dual purpose engine oil container is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,149 that includes a collapsible and disposable container for engine oil which can package fresh engine oil for dispensing into an engine, or alternatively can be employed for catching and storing engine oil drained from an internal combustion engine. The container includes an accordion-like section which allows the container to expand or contract.
Another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,599 which discloses an engine oil collector system. The system includes a collector vessel, a drain pan which can be releasably mounted on the collector vessel, and a threaded sealing cap. Used motor oil from an engine may be emptied into the drain pan and allowed to flow down a recess to an outlet and into a communicating entrance mouth of the vessel. The drain pan may then be removed from the collector vessel and the threaded cap can be used to seal the vessel's entrance mouth. A handle is provided for facilitating a transport of the vessel to a location for disposal of the used oil.
Other relevant patents include U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,035, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,457.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a waste oil collection apparatus for collecting used oil from an engine and dispensing the oil into bottles which includes a container having a raised cylindrical opening through which waste oil from an engine may be received, a plurality of threaded couplers that facilitate an attachment of a plurality of bottles to apertures in a sidewall of the container, and a plurality of valves that allow oil to be selectively dispensed from the container into the bottles from which new oil is supplied. Furthermore, prior art containers do not include both an extensible funnel assembly and a debris removal assembly in which a magnet for removing metal particles from the waste oil is provided.
In this respect, the waste oil collector according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of collecting used oil from an engine and dispensing the oil into bottles, such as those in which replacement oil is provided.